Stay safe and cool in the summer heat

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) – Even though it’s been a fairly cool July, Indiana weather is still capable of reaching temperatures 90 degrees and beyond. When you spend your time outdoors in the extreme heat, you run the risk of coming down with a heat-related illness.

“If you’re involved in some sort of strenuous activity exposed to extreme heat conditions and you get sweaty, then you could get heat cramps that affect those muscles,” Dr. Patel said.

For something like heat cramps, Dr. Patel said the solution is fairly simple — either move to a cool place or get hydrated. If those symptoms are ignored, Patel warned something worse could happen.

“If you continue to ignore these symptoms – you become tired and fatigued. You can even have a change in level of consciousness. We actually classify this as heat exhaustion,” Dr. Patel explained. “By the time you get to this point, you need to be seen.”

Treat heat-related illness at the first possible sign to avoid a trip to a physician.